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The real facts about wetland mitigation

With 400,000 people moving to Florida each year, it is critical to maintain a healthy balance between the need for new homes, retail locations and amenities with environmental preservation.
Watch this video to learn more about wetland mitigation and how it is used as a tool to achieve balance.

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What are the benefits of
wetland mitigation?

Several regulatory agencies and trained scientists effectively and efficiently balance our state’s growth with the need for environmental protection.

Protect

When no viable onsite mitigation is available for a parcel zoned for commercial use, mitigation banking is an effective method to preserve Florida’s most valuable resources.

Enhance

In many cases, when low-quality wetland systems are impacted, wetland mitigation is an effective tool to preserve and enhance large contiguous areas of native uplands and wetlands connected to offsite habitats under conservation easements.

Grow

With Florida’s population increasing tremendously each year, wetland mitigation and mitigation banking is a proven, effective method of preserving the state’s most valuable environmental assets.
“Agencies at each level review developmental permits to make sure they adhere to regulations and that they result in the least amount of impact to the environment as possible. If you remove environmental values and functions, your mitigation, which is scored on the same principles, has to replace those same environmental values and functions, point for point.”

John Henslick
Board member Southwest Florida Water Management District and environmental scientist.

What’s happening at Harbor Sound now?

Harbor Sound is a piece of land located on Anna Maria Sound that is a future 4-home subdivision. The land owner has received all applicable permits necessary to construct the first of four homes and intends to begin construction in the coming few months.

The owners will be constructing the first home on a piling supported foundation, eliminating the need to discharge fill into jurisdictional waters. This is a benefit for all stakeholders involved. This is a common, and well-established construction method. Examples can be found in areas like Cedar Key on Florida’s “Nature Coast” and in the Florida Keys.

Mitigation banking provides a regionally significant system. It’s a very good option for offsetting unavoidable impacts to wetlands.
Alec HoffnerSenior scientist with ECo Consultants

What are the benefits?

  • Safety from sedimentation
  • The limitation of the boundaries
  • Habitat for marine life
  • Preservation of the Army Corps of Engineer’s jurisdictional boundary

THERE WILL BE NO DEVELOPMENT IN WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES UNDER JURISDICTION OF THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

Quick facts
  • All construction/mitigation activities on site are legal
  • The land owner is protecting the existing environment
  • All construction/mitigation activities are permitted by the state of Florida
  • The project does not require an ACOE permit
  • All activity is occurring in the upland area
  • The land owner is mitigating by purchasing compensating wetlands
  • The Southwest Florida Water Management District has permitted this project
  • Tested by court actions and approved
Common misconceptions
  • Permits are given out without research
  • Mitigation is not a fair process
  • This project needs an ACOE permit
  • This activity is not lawful
By the time we get a permit, many entities have reviewed the plan. It’s not the developer or the land owner making the final call, it’s the regulatory agency. A lot of thought goes into establishing functional loss, and many scientists have a chance to review it before the permit is issued.
Alec HoffnerSenior scientist at ECo Consultants.

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What's next?

 The land owner has received all applicable permits necessary to construct the first of four homes and intends to begin construction in the coming few months.

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